A Fresh Flower Blog by George Thomas Florist, Your Local Indianapolis Florist.

Tag Archives: christmas

Poinsettias are a popular favorite around Christmastime. Seeing red poinsettias with their pots wrapped in shiny green foil makes us feel festive at this time of year. But have you ever wondered how this distinctive plant became so closely connected with the Christmas season? Took a closer look at the poinsettia and its interesting history.

A Practical Plant

Poinsettias are native to Central America. These plants, called “cuetlaxochitl,” meaning “brilliant flower,” were used by ancient Aztecs to make purple dye for clothing and makeup. Also, the sap of a poinsettia was used to treat fevers.

A Mexican Treasure

In southern Mexico, poinsettias flower for a short amount of time in the winter. In 1828, the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, Joel Poinsett, visited southern Mexico and became enchanted with the poinsettias he saw there. He brought some of the plants back to his greenhouses in South Carolina, and he nurtured his poinsettias and shared them with friends as well as botanical gardens. These plants got their English name from Poinsett.

Poinsettias and Christmas

There are many connections between poinsettias and Christmas. For one, the poinsettia plant has a similar shape to the star of Bethlehem. Also, the plant is red and green, which are colors associated with Christmas.

Caring for Your Poinsettia

Do you want your poinsettia to last beyond Christmas? If so, there are some care tips to remember. For one, water your plant only when its soil is dry. Gently stick your finger about an inch down into the soil to make sure it’s dry before watering. Also, keep it in a cool room (about 55 degrees) in the evening so it will bloom longer. With the right care, you can even get your poinsettia to rebloom!

Fascinating Facts About the Flower of Christmas

Along with using the poinsettia as medicine for fevers, the Aztecs believed the plant had magical properties like causing a baby to be born crosswise.

Poinsettias grow as shrubs in southern Mexico. They can sometimes grow up to 12 feet tall!

Poinsettias are the national emblem of Madagascar.

At least $200 million worth of poinsettias are sold each year during the Christmas season.

The red petals of a poinsettia are really its leaves, or bracts, while its small yellow bulbs are its flowers.

Though the bracts of a poinsettia are not deadly to people or animals, they can make you sick.

Your friends at George Thomas Florist will help you find the right Poinsettia and delivered to the proper place, at the proper time.

It’s beginning to a lot like Christmas here at George Thomas Florist. We’re working hard to prepare for the holiday rush, but we’re never too busy to help you pick out the perfect gift for someone special on your list. Whether you’re shopping for a Christmas or Hanukkah gift, or just want to send a special treat, we have the perfect gift ideas for every occasion.

Hopefully, by now, you’ve crossed several names off your list, but chances are you still have at least one or two of those hard-to-buy-for people left. If you’re not sure exactly what you’re looking for, never fear – because we here to help you spread your holiday cheer! The possibilities are practically endless this time of year and we have an incredible variety to choose from. Whether you prefer a timeless classic like a festive poinsettia plant or something with a bit more flair like a beautiful hand-designed holiday floral arrangement, you’re in good hands at George Thomas Florist.

Silver Bells by George Thomas Florist

Be sure to get your orders in early this year to avoid the rush. Not only will you get the best value and widest selection by not waiting until the last minute, but you’ll also be able to cross one more thing off your list and reduce your own stress levels a bit. In fact, you don’t even need to leave the comfort of your own home to have a beautiful gift hand-delivered by George Thomas Florist, we’re just a phone call away – or you can order online 24-hours a day. Are you sending the gift out of town? No problem! We can take care of that for you with the help of our network of associates located across the country.

In addition to our incredible selection of fresh flowers and plants, we also feature a fantastic variety of holiday gifts and décor that is sure to please anyone on your list! We’re also a great source for unique stocking stuffers and gifts for teachers, mail carriers, party hosts, co-workers, hair stylists, and more. This year, leave the last-minute shopping to the amateurs by trusting one of our professional designers to create the perfect one-of-a-kind gift. Give us a call today at (317) 353-9161 to check out what we have in store for you this holiday season!

The holidays are upon us, but this season of good tidings and merry wishes can also be the source of stress for many people. From shopping and decorating to making travel plans and remembering loved ones no longer with us, it isn’t hard for even the jolliest elf to get a touch of the holiday blues.

Not surprisingly, sending flowers is a perfect way to spread some holiday cheer to others who are feeling less than joyful. Studies have proven time and again that sending flowers not only provides cheer and happiness to the recipient, but also provide an emotional boost to the sender as well.

In fact, studies by Rutgers University found that flowers are a “powerful positive emotion inducer,” and they provide a Duchene or true smile when presented to recipients. The studies also found a variety of other immediate and long-term emotional health benefits from flowers including: “Emotional reactions, mood, social behaviors and even memory.”

Your one-stop holiday shop

Candy Cane Celebration by George Thomas Florist

Here at George Thomas Florist, we’re busy preparing for the holiday rush, but we’re never too busy to help you pick out the perfect gift for that special someone. Whether you’re shopping for a Christmas or Hanukkah gift, or just want to send a special treat to let someone know you care and that you’re thinking about them, we have the perfect gift ideas for every occasion.

Remember to get your orders in early to avoid the rush. Not only will you get the best value and widest selection earlier in the season, but you’ll also be able to cross one more thing off your list and reduce your own stress levels a bit. Leave the last-minute shopping to the amateurs by trusting one of our professional designers to create the perfect one-of-a-kind gift.

Fresh Christmas Wreaths by George Thomas Florist

Not sure exactly what you’re looking for? No worries, we here to help you spread your holiday cheer! The possibilities are practically endless this time of year and we have an incredible variety to choose from. Whether you prefer a timeless classic like a festive poinsettia plant or something with a bit more flair like a beautiful hand-designed holiday floral arrangement, you’re in good hands at George Thomas Florist.

But that’s not all!

In addition to our incredible selection of fresh flowers and plants, we also feature a fantastic variety of holiday gifts and décor that is sure to please anyone on your list! Stop in today to check out what we have in store for you this holiday season!

Every year it seems as though the holiday shopping season starts earlier than the last. With the elections this time around to take up some of the attention – and more importantly, the good TV commercial spots, it was practically the middle of November until the full-fledged barrage of ‘all-things-holidays’ really got a foothold.

Now with Thanksgiving just a few days away, we’re staring straight into the biggest shopping weekend of the year! That’s right, as soon as the fork hits the plate after that last bite of pumpkin pie; it’s time to shop until you drop!

Some people love lining up in front of their favorite big box stores on Black Friday hoping to score the best bargains of the season, but those hard-core shopping tactics aren’t for everyone. Most people prefer a more leisurely pace while others want absolutely nothing to do with the entire ordeal and prefer to do all of their holiday shopping in their PJs from the comfort of their own couch.

Whichever method you prefer, now’s your chance to start that shopping that you always promise yourself you won’t put off until the last minute. So where to start? Right here at George Thomas Florist!

Thanksgiving

Autumn Sunrise

Time is running out fast, but it’s not too late to get those last-minute flowers for Thanksgiving. Are you hosting a big dinner for family and friends? If so, a beautiful fall-themed centerpiece is the perfect finishing touch for your table.

If you were lucky enough to get invited to a dinner where someone else is doing the cooking, flowers make a terrific gift for the busy who will surely appreciate the gesture. Give us a call or stop in and let us help you find something truly special for this festive holiday.

Christmas

Gift Wrapped by George Thomas Florist

The key to successful Christmas shopping is finishing early. Imagine how many people you can cross off your list by ordering your Christmas flowers at the same time as your Thanksgiving flowers!

You can reduce a great deal of stress with one phone call and have nearly all your shopping done before you even hear your first Christmas song on the radio!

Party Time

Poinsettia Package

When formulating a plan for your holiday shopping list, you’ll, of course, want to include the usual friends and family members, but don’t forget about the other festivities and gatherings that usually take place before the end of the year. Office parties, classroom parties, sports banquets, church services and other social events all have a habit of popping up this time of year and they usually require some sort of gift. Fortunately, flowers are always appropriate and we can help you out here too. Give us a call and let us know what you need. From centerpieces and table dressings to gifts for the host or floral décor for any room, we have you covered and we’re here to help!

Small Business Saturday

If Black Friday isn’t your style – of if you just can’t get enough – be sure to ‘shop local’ and stop by George Thomas Florist this Saturday, November 26, for Small Business Saturday and receive 20% off any Christmas item. It’s the perfect way to start the holiday season off right, so be sure to join us and #shoplocal.

Okay…okay…not quite yet. But, Labor Day has passed and summer is officially over, which means that every product in every store is consequently in the process of turning pumpkin-spiced, and Halloween costume shops are filling in vacant strip malls on every block in town.

It wasn’t long ago that every holiday enjoyed its own special time starting a week or two after the proceeding holiday. Now back-to-school sales seem to start well before summer break, and we’re lucky if we can make it to Thanksgiving before we hear Bing Crosby dreaming of the white stuff.

Now, we’re not suggesting you rush out this weekend to procure the perfect tree – there’ll be plenty of time for that later – but we are implying that you may want to start thinking ahead to the flurry of festivities that accompany the holiday season.

Office parties, kids’ parties, people to acknowledge, family members to remember…the list seems to multiply every year. But no matter how early stores start decking the halls, it’s easy to procrastinate and put off shopping until the last minute – when stores are crowded, lines are long, and shelves are picked over.

Why not start shopping now?

It’s never too early to begin thinking about holiday gift giving, and here at George Thomas Florist, we will make your shopping a breeze. Did you know you can order your holiday flowers as early as you’d like? You won’t even be billed until the flowers are delivered, and if you ordered from us in the past, we probably have your order on file so you can see just what you sent last time that the boss loved so much.

Let us save you valuable time and ease the Black Friday frustration by taking care of all your floral needs. Imagine being able to cross off part of your holiday shopping list before the leaves even turn colors and hit the ground! From large corporate parties to simple bud vases, we’re here to assist you with any size order. We even go beyond flowers with beautiful green plants, poinsettias, and holiday gift baskets – perfect for everyone on your list!

The holidays may not be here yet, but they’re right around the corner. Don’t let them sneak up on you this year; one phone call to your friends at George Thomas Florist is all it takes!

Online shopping has forever changed the way we buy Christmas presents. It’s no longer necessary to fight for a parking spot at the mall or spend countless hours standing in crowded checkout lines. Today’s shopping experience requires little more effort than pulling out your phone or opening up your laptop from the comfort of your couch.

Online ordering is a wonderful concept for many people, except it comes with one big drawback: Orders must be shipped. This often cuts several shopping days off the end of the season – not good for the legions of “last minute” shoppers and procrastinators among us.

Relying on timely shipping from other parts of the country can be nerve-racking so close to Christmas, but fortunately you still have an excellent option to eliminate the frustration of not knowing if your gift will be delivered on time.

The answer is your local florist! George Thomas offers same-day delivery and an unconditional guarantee that your beautiful gift will be hand delivered to the recipients, giving them plenty of time to enjoy them before Christmas day.

Know Your Source

In addition to being quick and easy, online shopping is safe as long as you know and trust the people you’re shopping with. Unfortunately, you have to be careful to make sure you’re shopping in the right place. Some enticing “deals” could potentially take you to unknown sites that may not be where you’re intending to go. Just remember, if a deal sounds too good to be true…it probably is. Be sure to check your URL and make sure it says georgethomasflorist.com and you’ll know you’re in the right place.

Need A Quick Gift?

Did you get a gift you weren’t expecting and need to quickly return the favor? We can get you off the hook with some beautiful fresh flowers or a lovely gift basket – and deliver it. Best of all – one size fits all!

The holiday season is well underway, but do you have all of your shopping done yet? Remember, the number of shopping days left is quickly diminishing – Christmas is only two weeks away!

Holiday shopping can be delightful when you have lots of time and you’re full of holiday cheer. But after weeks of long lines and heavy traffic, it’s hard not to turn into Ebenezer Scrooge or the Grinch!

Fortunately, your friends at George Thomas Florist are here to help you cross everyone off your list and save your yuletide joy.
Flowers make the perfect gift no matter the occasion, especially during the holidays when people decorate their homes and invite friends and family over to share the spirit of the season. Whether you’re decorating your own space or looking for the right gift to give to someone else, here are some ideas that you’re sure to love:

Poinsettia Plant by George Thomas

Poinsettias

When people think of Christmas decorations, they think of poinsettias. The plants are so popular, in fact, that they accounted for nearly one quarter (23 percent) of all flowering potted plants sold last year, according to a recent USDA Floriculture Statistics report.

The poinsettia is native to Mexico, but it is commercially grown in every state in the United States. It is a common misconception that poinsettias are toxic to humans and animals. But the reality is, these beautiful holiday plants are normally safe as long as they are not ingested in large quantities, and their extremely bitter taste usually prevents more than a nibble from a curious child or pet.

Fresh Flowers

Fresh flowers can set the tone for the whole season. They are very popular during the holidays, especially in brightly-colored centerpieces used to decorate the table. Red and white flowers are obvious choices for many holiday designs, but special touches such as holly, berries, pine cones and evergreen sprigs add seasonal style and flair to traditional bouquets.

Whether you’re looking for a mix of elegant and classic or bold and beautiful, the artesian designers at George Thomas will be happy to create the perfect piece to help you make this holiday season extra special.

Candles

In addition to flowers and plants, candles are also popular gifts during the holiday season. They come in a wide variety of colors and scents, and they can fill your home with luxurious ambiance and nostalgia-inducing aromas.

When it comes to candles, the options available are nearly endless. While most people choose candles based on fragrance, size, and color, not all candles are created equal. Many specialty candles feature long-lasting soy or even wood wicks that crackle like a warm fireplace when they’re lit. Some battery-powered, artificial candles are so lifelike that they’re nearly indistinguishable from the real thing – even under close inspection.

Let George Thomas Florist help you deck the halls and make your holiday season merry and bright. Stop by to see all of the goodies we have available in our shop, or give us a call at 317-353-9161 and let us help you find the perfect gift!